Eternity
by FaithinBones
Summary: The end of the year has come and because of drunken words Booth and Brennan's lives are altered forever. (Season 6)
1. Chapter 1

(After 'The Doctor in the Photo')

A/N: A new story for the new year. ( I started writing this story on January 1st.)

I really don't own Bones.

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 _Hi Booth . . . whatcha doing?_

He'd been asleep, not for very long, but he had definitely been in bed asleep. "Bones, it's two in the morning . . . Are you alright? You sound . . . strange."

 _Do you think so? I'm alright . . . I have a favor to ask from you and you can say no if you want to. Derek said he'll take me home if you can't do it. I wouldn't . . ._

"Whoa, whoa, who the hell is Derek? Where are you?" Booth realized that the reason Brennan sounded so odd was because she was drunk. He had only seen her sloshed once before and found this situation upsetting. Brennan could hold her liquor and he was afraid she was being taken advantage of. "Bones, tell me where you are. Don't let that Derek fellow take you home. I'm coming, but you have to tell me where you are."

 _Sorry Derek, my good friend Booth is going to take me home . . . No, I just told you your services are not required . . . just because I don't want to go home with you doesn't mean I'm a bitch . . ._

"Bones, are you someplace safe?" Booth was now out of bed and grabbing up his clothes from the floor. "Bones I'm on the way, tell me where you are."

 _I'm at the Founding Father's Booth . . . Sam just escorted Derek from the bar, he told Derek that his business was no longer welcome . . . I can call a cab if it's too late._

He placed the phone on the bed and put it on speaker while he pulled on his boxers and jeans. "No cab. I'm almost out the door. Just have Sam give you a cup of coffee and I'll be there before you know it." He pulled his shirt on, sat down on the bed and pulled his shoes on. He didn't have time to look for his socks. "I'm out the door, Bones. Stay there." The call ended, he rushed over to the chair near the closet and grabbed his jacket.

Hannah had woke to Booth speaking loudly while he dressed and shook her head. "Seeley, it's late. Call her back and tell to get Sam to order her a cab."

Pulling his jacket on, he moved over to the dresser, grabbed his wallet, keys, badge and gun then walked over to the bed and grabbed his phone. "It's Bones, I can't do that. She needs me."

She held her hand out and smiled. "I need you too. Come back to bed. Sam can get Temperance a cab. It's New Year and you promised that we'd make love all night."

"She's your friend, Hannah. She's my friend." Booth moved towards the door, paused and looked back. "That's not how you treat friends. Some douche was trying to take Bones home and she's drunk . . . I have to go get her and take her home. I don't have a choice."

Hannah sat up and stared at Booth, concerned that she didn't know what was going on. "First you chase her all over town in the rain a week ago because she was acting odd . . . you came home soaking wet, very upset and you wouldn't tell me what was going on and now this. Seeley, just what is going on?"

"I don't know." Brennan had had a crises the week before and Booth had tried to help her through it. He had broken his partner's heart when she had confessed that she had made a mistake outside the Hoover, but truthfully his heart had been broken too. Her confession had come too late because he was in a relationship with someone else. How two people who cared so much for each other could keep hurting each other was beyond him, but no matter what was going on, they were friends and he would help Brennan whenever he could. "It's been a rough year for her . . . for me . . . I have to go Hannah. Bones needs me."

She knew Booth was Brennan's friend and partner, but lately their relationship seemed to be more like an emotional train wreck that she was watching from a hill. Her boyfriend and his partner were dear friends and she knew that they loved each other, it was obvious, but she wasn't sure what that meant. She didn't really know what any of it meant. "Bring her back here. I'll have some coffee ready and maybe some broth."

"Thanks Hannah." Booth raced down the hallway and slammed the front door shut once he was in the hallway. Racing down to his truck, he hoped that his partner was alright. It worried him that she was drunk. It worried him a lot.

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When Sam noticed Booth enter the bar, he pointed at Brennan who was sitting on a stool in front of him and gave the agent a thumbs up. Booth and Brennan were steady customers and he always did his best to protect his customers if they drank a little too much. When Derek had kept buying drinks for Brennan, but had drunk so little himself little alarm bells starting ringing in his head. Once he noticed that Brennan was trying to resist going home with the man and the jerk wasn't taking no for an answer, Sam had kicked the man out of the bar and told him not to come back. "Agent Booth, Dr. Brennan has had a nice cup of coffee while she was waiting for you."

"Thanks, Sam." Booth was grateful that the bartender was such a great guy. "Bones, hey, you okay?"

Brennan placed her cup down and smiled at her friend. "I am, thank you for asking . . . you are very considerate."

"I try to be." He knew that sometimes he wasn't considerate at all, but he knew he was human and he could be a pill when things were going wrong for him. "Would you like another cup of coffee before we leave?"

She thought about it and nodded her head. "I think I would." Brennan turned and handed the empty cup to Sam. "Another coffee, barkeep."

Amused, Sam winked at Booth and turned to pour another cup of coffee. While he was at it, he poured one for Booth and placed the cups in front of his clients. "Drink up, there's time. I won't be closing for another half hour."

Grateful for the hot drink, Booth took the proffered sugar packet and sweetened his coffee. Brennan cautiously drank her coffee black and unsweetened. "I'm not sure why I have drunk to excess tonight . . . I suppose it's because of the frivolity of the moment . . . New Year Eve is really for lovers you know . . . social media, advertising . . . it makes this time of year rather sad for those who aren't in a personal relationship . . . as a rule I ignore it, but for some reason . . . for some reason it made me sad that I couldn't enjoy the festivities like it's meant to be enjoyed . . . Angela is pregnant and married, so she could not be my . . . um, wing man . . . I believe that is correct. Wing man?"

"Yeah, you got that one right." The more his partner spoke, the more it seemed to break Booth's heart. He hated that Brennan was alone or felt alone. "You know you aren't alone Bones. I'm right here and when you're ready I'll take you home. "

She appreciated that he had come for her, but she still felt alone somehow. "You have Hannah. Angela has Hodgins in her life . . . I don't usually care if I'm seeing anyone or not . . . I'm not sure what is so different about this year . . . perhaps it's because I now know I didn't have to be alone, but I made a mistake and that mistake is not correctable . . . I am happy that you found Hannah, Booth . . . at least we both aren't alone."

Her voice was filled with sadness and regret and that made him want to hold her and kiss her pain away, but how could he do that? He was seeing someone else, he was living with Hannah and he was faithful. He was always faithful. "Bones . . ."

She didn't let him complete his sentence, whatever it was going to be. She didn't want him to feel guilty for being happy. "You are my friend, Booth. That is the most important thing to me. I've never had a friend like you . . . truthfully, I've had very few friends in my life . . . I am not . . . lovable."

"What?" Booth was outraged that Brennan thought that of herself. "Are you kidding me? Of course you're lovable. Angela and Hodgins both love you like a sister and you know it. Cam likes you a lot and those interns of yours practically worship the ground you walk on . . . and I love you . . . as a friend. You are my best friend and I'll always have your back you know that."

"I do know that. That is why I called you to come tonight." Brennan sipped more of her coffee, but she wasn't so sure it was really helping her. She still felt fuzzy headed. That had been the real reason she had called Booth. Normally she was confident in every decision she made, but once she had realized that she had drunk too much liquor she felt that her reasoning ability was impaired and she knew she could count on Booth to help her to make the right decisions. He was her friend and he would protect her. It was odd, but she never felt like that she needed protection, but in this case, logically, she was too impaired to take care of herself and she really did need protection. "I was foolish to drink so much . . . I don't usually do foolish things like that, at least not when I am alone in a public place."

He let her talk while he sipped his coffee. She was a very independent person and he didn't want to say or do anything to make her feel anymore foolish than she already did. He was there to protect her and that meant more than physically. He wanted to protect her sense of self. Like Brennan he had a lot of pride and he knew what it was like to slip into a situation that made him vulnerable. It was his duty as her friend to make sure she kept her pride even if she was sloshed to the gills.

"You are being quiet, Booth." Normally, her friend was full of advice, so it seemed odd that he wasn't giving her any. "Has the feline taken your tongue?"

"No . . . I was just enjoying my cup of coffee." Booth smiled at his partner. "Would you like to go back to my apartment? You could stay in Parker's bedroom, that way you won't be alone tonight."

It sounded like a wonderful offer, but Hannah was also in Booth's apartment. "Perhaps not. I'm sure that Hannah would not appreciate me being there."

"Nonsense, she was the one who thought it might be a good idea for you to come home with me." Booth saw the surprise on Brennan's face and knew that the situation was confusing her. Hell it was confusing him. "She said she'd have some coffee and broth waiting for you when we get there."

Brennan considered Hannah to be a friend. It seemed odd to be friends with the woman who had the love of Booth, but her whole life was odd, wasn't it? It certainly wasn't normal. "I think it would be better if you took me home to my apartment. I will more than likely be sick in the morning and I would rather not regurgitate in front of Hannah or you."

"Okay, not a problem." Booth pulled his wallet from his jacket pocket and removed enough money to pay for the coffees and a nice tip for Sam for being a great bartender. He placed the money on the bar and waved Sam away when he tried to give some change back. Standing, he placed his arm around Brennan's waist and helped her from the tall barstool. "Okay, Bones, let's go." Once he was sure she wasn't going to fall, he buttoned her jacket for her and grabbed her purse. "Okay, I'm going to take you home. Nice and steady. You ready?"

"Of course, Booth." Brennan waved at Sam. "You're an excellent Barkeep, Sam."

Sam nodded his head and grabbed the empty coffee cups from the bar. He was relieved that Booth had come to Brennan's rescue. If the agent hadn't come, he would have taken Brennan home. "Night." Some people needed protection and he always felt that people like Brennan needed it the most. Confident, very independent, but vulnerable too. That vulnerability worried Sam. It worried him a lot.

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Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	2. Chapter 2

(After 'The Doctor in the Photo')

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

The trip to Brennan's apartment was quiet. Booth concentrated on the road while Brennan closed her eyes and enjoyed the peace and quiet of the drive with her partner. She felt muddled, but it was a pleasant muddle. Once they were at Brennan's apartment, Booth helped her from the truck and kept a tight hold on her shoulders while they made their way to Brennan's apartment. Once he had her safely in her living room, he half carried half walked her to the couch and helped her sit down. "Let me start a pot of coffee."

"Coffee doesn't really do anything for someone when they are drunk." Brennan slipped her shoes off and sighed. "My shoes are new and they've rubbed a blister on my right heel . . . I'm not having a good night, Booth."

He agreed that her night had been terrible, but he wasn't going to say that aloud. "Would you like some water? That might help."

"Yes, water will help. I am certain that I may be dehydrated." Brennan stared glumly at her feet. "I . . . thank you for bringing me home. I knew that I could count on you."

She still sounded drunk and Booth worried what she might do if he left her on her own. "You can always count on me, Bones."

"Well, not always." Brennan pulled her feet up and lay on the couch. "When I came home from the Malukus, it was my intention to tell you that I had reconsidered my answer outside the Hoover, but you told me about Hannah before I could do so. I thought we might try to have a relationship, but you already were in one. It made me sad, but of course I accepted it."

His legs felt weak and he sat down at the dining room table. While he had been in Afghanistan he had never heard a word from Brennan. Seven months and not a word, not a letter, not a call and he had assumed that she had severed their partnership completely. He had felt so alone, so sad that she had given up on him and he hadn't been sure what to do about it at the time. She had been in Indonesia and he had been in Afghanistan, a world apart. Certain that he had to finally move on, he had looked for companionship from someone else and now she was telling him that she had changed her mind. Why couldn't she have called him, written to him? Why didn't she do that? "I wrote you a couple of times, but you didn't write me or call me."

She rubbed her forehead. Her head was starting to throb. "I didn't know how to say what I wanted to say in a letter. Perhaps I should have tried . . . I'm not very good at relationships and I wasn't sure how to tell you I had changed my mind and why. I thought perhaps in person . . . I was sad that you found someone else, but I was happy too . . . I will always be happy for you Booth if you are happy . . . Are you happy?"

Rubbing his eyes, Booth tried to keep his watering eyes from spilling tears. What good would it do now? He had cried when she had turned him down outside the Hoover and he had cried and given up when he had thought she had abandoned him . . . now he knew that she hadn't done any such thing and he wanted to cry again, but he wouldn't. It would just make everything worse. "Yeah, I guess." He wasn't happy at all and he wasn't sure he ever would be again. "Let me get you that water." He walked into the kitchen and leaned against the counter next to the fridge trying to ride out the emotional upheaval he felt. His phone rang and he answered it. "Booth."

 _Are you bringing Temperance home? I have some coffee ready._

He rubbed his eyes once more and cleared his throat. "No . . . no, she wanted me to bring her back to her place . . . She's pretty drunk. I'm going to stay and take care of her."

 _I see . . . Seeley I have a question for you. Are you happy that we're living together? Are you happy to be in a relationship with me?_

Why was everyone asking him that? Why now? Truthfully, he didn't know how to answer that question. He wanted to tell her yes that he loved her and she made him happy, but he loved someone more and he was in a situation he had never dreamed could happen to him. "Yeah, of course." It had been a weak answer and he knew it. "I . . . um . . . Of course I'm happy."

 _I don't think I believe you, Seeley. I don't think you're happy at all. For the last few weeks, you've been worrying about Temperance, following her . . . guarding her really. I don't know what's going on and you won't tell me, but it's obvious that she is having a crisis in her life and so are you. Tell me what's going on. I need to understand what's happening._

He wanted to be honest because he was an honest man. "Bones . . . last year I wanted Bones to have a relationship with me and she turned me down . . . She told me over a week ago that she had made a mistake. That's what's going on Hannah. Bones and I are trying to come to grips with how things are now between us and we're both having trouble doing it . . . I don't know what to do, Hannah. I don't know what to do . . . I love you, I do, but . . . I want to do the right thing by you . . . Bones and me . . . we'll get through this. Everything is going to be okay."

 _Seeley, I love you too, but I think that isn't good enough . . . you have feelings for Temperance and I don't think they're going to go away. You care for her and you always will. . ._

 _"_ Of course I do, she's my friend." Booth was trying to save his relationship with Hannah and he hated doing it on the phone. "Just wait until the morning. We can talk tomorrow when I come home."

 _We are talking Seeley. Right now and I'm pretty sure that you do know what you want to do, you just don't want to say it or maybe admit it . . . maybe I should help you. You love me I know that, but I don't think you're happy living with me. Your loyalties are not with me, but with Temperance. If she calls you run to her. If she's having problems, you're by her side at a moments notice . . . you never talk about your work or what's going on in your life to me . . . You keep trying to convince yourself that you're happy with me, but you aren't happy at all. I think it would be better if we just admitted that our relationship isn't going to be what either of us wants it to be . . . Stay with Temperance and by the time you get home tomorrow I'll be gone. We had fun, Seeley. You were a lot of fun and a great boyfriend. Maybe if you and Temperance can decide what you want you two can get your act together. Right now, both of you are a mess and me being with you is just confusing the issue. If you finally decide that you love me more than her, then call me. I don't think we're done, but that's up to you._

"Hannah, don't do this." He didn't want to give up on his relationship with her. Brennan was his friend and he loved her, but he was afraid that her inability to accept that love was real would always keep her from actually committing to him in a real relationship. He loved Brennan, but he wasn't sure if Brennan loved him and he didn't want to give up on someone who did. Love had been so rare in his life, so damn rare. "Please don't leave. Let me talk to you in person. We can work this out."

 _Right now there isn't anything to work out between us. What you need to do is work out your problems with Temperance. You both need to decide what you want and if you both have the courage to do it, whatever it is. Bye Seeley._

The call was ended and so was his affair. Booth placed his phone in his pocket and tried to control the anger building inside of him. As calm as he was ever going to be, he pulled a bottle of water from the fridge and carried it into the living room. Sitting on the coffee table, Booth realized that Brennan was asleep. Placing the water on the coffee table next to him, he stared at his partner and knew that he was at a turning point in his life. He had been at many crossroads in his life and most of the time, it was a tossup whether or not the decisions he made were good or bad.

Unable to do anything about his situation at the moment, he retrieved a blanket from Brennan's room and covered her body to make sure she stayed warm during the night. Since he couldn't go home and leave her alone, he walked into the guest bedroom, took off his shoes and lay down. He knew that he needed to talk to Brennan, but at the moment, he wasn't sure what that conversation would be. He had a lot of thinking to do and he had the time to do it.

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A/N: Dialogue from 'The Mastodon in the Room', Booth: Didn't you stay in touch with anyone while you were gone? Brennan: No. My only contact with the outside world was a satellite phone and it was only for emergencies. Booth: Good to know it wasn't just me, huh?

Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	3. Chapter 3

(Season 6)

Thank you for reviewing my story.

I don't own Bones, but then again you know that.

Oooooooooooooooooo

Unable to sleep, Booth finally left the guest bedroom right after dawn, cleaned up in the guest bathroom and checked on Brennan to make sure she was still sleeping. When he found her uncovered on the couch, he pulled the blanket back over her and continued into the kitchen.

After searching cabinets and the fridge, he made several slices of toast. If Brennan was going to be as sick as he thought she was going to be, he knew she might be able to handle toast, but nothing more substantial than that. Hungry, he found a box of cereal in a cabinet, poured some of it in a bowl and wondered if he would be better off just eating some toast. The cereal contained two kinds of seeds, dried raisins, cranberries, some sticks and little nuggets that didn't look very appetizing. After he poured some almond milk on the cereal he forced himself to eat a few bites and realized he hated it and couldn't eat anymore. Disappointed, he dumped the soggy mess in the trash, made some more toast and spread some strawberry jam on it for breakfast. He vowed to eat a big lunch to make up for the sorry breakfast he was eating at that moment.

Once he was done, he washed the few dishes in the sink, dried them and placed them back where they belonged. Afterward, he wiped down the counter, placed the plate of toast on the table and left the kitchen to check on his partner. Still sleeping, he checked his watch and decided that Brennan would be alright on her own. Finding a piece of paper and a pen, he wrote her a note and left it next to the toast in the kitchen. _Bones, I made you some toast and I set up the coffee maker to make you some tea when you're ready. Just turn it on. If you need me, call me and I'll come back. Drink plenty of water and take some aspirin. Booth._

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The apartment was quiet when he entered it. All the lights were off and the only light in the living room was coming from the window. Moving into his bedroom, he checked and found Hannah's luggage and clothes were missing. She had been true to her word and had left him. Sitting on the edge of the bed, grinding his teeth, he tried to contain his anger, but knew that he was failing. Furious that she had left without letting him talk to her in person, Booth stood up, stripped his bed and carried the sheets and pillow cases into the laundry room. Once the washing machine was running, he reentered his bedroom and made the bed with clean sheets and pillow cases from the linen closet. Tidying up the bedroom, he realized that it hadn't taken him very long to remove any traces that Hannah had ever been there. One minute he was in love and living with someone that loved him back and the next minute he was alone, heartbroken and angry.

The new year had begun and once more he was alone. Most of his adult life had been spent searching for that one person that would complete his life. His grandfather had found his true love at a young age and he had been content with his life. Pops and Grams had loved each other so much and when she had died, his grandfather had mourned a long time. He had always used his grandparents' marriage as an example of what a perfect marriage was like and something to strive for.

His parents' marriage had been an example of everything that could go wrong in a marriage and Booth had worked hard to avoid that becoming his fate. He could never live with someone he didn't love and he didn't understand why a couple would put themselves through what his parents had done. It didn't make any sense, but then again, his parents had never represented more than pain and hate to him anyway.

Most of his relationships had been ephemeral at best. His search for his soul mate had let him down more times than he could count. There was only one woman in his life that had come close to being his ideal, his standard and she didn't want him or at least he had thought she didn't. He was confused. He wasn't sure if her drunken words last night were real or just alcohol soaked mutterings. The situation just made him feel angry and confused. He wasn't sure what to do about it either. He loved Brennan and valued her friendship, but he wasn't sure he wanted to pursue her again and risk being rejected once more. It had hurt too much the first time and he didn't think their friendship would survive if she rejected him again. He didn't want to lose her in his life and that meant that he had to be careful how he handled this situation.

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She woke from her deep sleep and moaned. She had been foolish the night before and had allowed her guard to come down long enough to drink alcohol to excess. It had been a ridiculous thing to do and she regretted that moment of weakness.

Moving the blanket away from her body, she allowed it to fall on the floor as she stared at the ceiling. She knew that once she moved from the couch she would be in pain and it was quite possible she might become violently sick. Carefully, trying not to make any abrupt moves, she slid her legs to the edge of the couch and allowed her feet to touch the floor. _So far so good._ Cautiously she sat up and spied the bottle of water on the coffee table. Dehydrated, she removed the cap from the bottle and drank the entire contents. Still trying to avoid any unpleasantness, she slowly stood up and felt her stomach protest. Hurrying into the bathroom, she made it in time to throw up in the toilet and for that she was grateful.

Once her stomach was empty, she washed her face and noticed the dark smudges under her eyes. _I look terrible, but then again, that is to be expected._ Her legs feeling less than reliable, she moved back into the living room and sat down on the couch once more. Up until that moment, she hadn't questioned where the water had come from or how she had got home, but now she did.

Holding her face in her hands, she thought about the previous evening and memories came crashing back from their temporary hiding place. She had gone to the Founding Fathers to drink and to partake in the New Year festivities. There had been a rather handsome man who had become interested in her who had joined her at her table. They had talked about the weather, the art gallery down the street, a little politics and where was the best place to get a really good dish of Thai Green Vegetable Curry. While they talked they drank and Brennan had enjoyed herself. When it became late, Derek had tried to get her to go home with him, but that had not been part of her plans for the evening and he hadn't liked that.

Feeling insecure, a rare emotion for her, she had called her partner and asked for a ride home and he had agreed to come get her. She knew that no matter what was going on between them, she could count on Booth to have her back. He was her friend above all things.

Not feeling quite as nauseous as she had earlier, Brennan stood up and moved into the kitchen. As she passed the table, she noticed a plate of toast in the center of the table and a note propped against the stack of bread. Curious, she read the note and smiled. Booth was a very good friend indeed. Toast and tea was just what she needed. Once she started the coffee maker she sat down and nibbled the corner of a piece of toast, trying not to assault her stomach with too much food at one time. Once the tea was made, she poured some of the amber liquid in a large cup and sat down at the table. Glad that Booth had used Earl Grey tea and not the Oolong tea, she sipped the hot liquid and felt her stomach settle down. The thought of Oolong tea made her feel slightly queasy so she moved onto other thoughts.

She hoped that Booth had made it home safely after he left. The roads would have been a risky proposition considering the inebriated drivers that were probably on the road at the time. She knew that he could handle himself, but still it did make her nervous that she had asked him to drive under less than ideal conditions. Her phone in the other room in her purse, she decided to wait before she called her partner. She didn't want to disturb him on his day off especially since she had forced him from his bed at such an early hour.

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Around noon, Brennan was feeling almost well. She had a headache and her eyes felt gritty, but that was acceptable. She had nibbled on toast throughout the morning and sipped unsweetened tea hoping to appease her abused stomach. Once both hands on her clock in the kitchen were pointing straight up, she felt it was safe to call Booth. Surprisingly it had taken him quite a while to answer the phone which had caused her some anxiety. _Booth._

"Hi, it's me, Bones." Now that she knew he was safe, she wasn't sure what to say. Perhaps a little small talk was all that was needed. "I just wanted to thank you for bringing me home last night."

 _You're welcome. Anytime._

He didn't seem to be very talkative, but perhaps he was busy. "Thank you for making some toast and setting up the coffee maker to make tea. It was helpful and I appreciate it."

 _Not a problem._

Booth was being rather taciturn which she found unusual. "I hope you and Hannah are having a quiet rest day."

 _I'm just reading._

Well he obviously didn't want to talk and she was disturbing him. "Well, I'll see you after the holiday. Thank you again for bringing me home.

 _You're welcome. Any time._

The call ended, Brennan felt that the conversation she had just had had been rather odd. Booth had been unemotional and he had spoken few words. _Perhaps he is angry with me . . . or perhaps I was disturbing him and he was being too polite to tell me so._

Since her ability to communicate was better in person, she decided to see him after the holiday and thank him once more for rescuing her. She also intended to thank Sam as soon as she saw him and leave him a sizable tip. He had been an excellent barman and Brennan appreciated his protection from Derek when she needed it. She prided herself on being able to take care of herself, but being intoxicated left her vulnerable if she took it too far. There was a fine line between being able to combat anyone that needed it and being too drunk to put up a decent fight if it was required. She vowed never to allow herself to become that vulnerable again. It had been a foolish thing to do.

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Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	4. Chapter 4

(Season 6)

Note: Fanfiction was acting up last Saturday and Sunday. I was unable to post this story until Sunday morning. If you haven't ready chapter 3 yet, please do so before reading this chapter.

Thank you for reviewing my story.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooo

The knock on the door surprised him. He wasn't expecting anyone and he wasn't really in the mood for company. Placing his book down on the coffee table, he walked down the hallway and pulled the door open.

"Hello Seeley. May I come in?"

Surprised to see Hannah in the hallway, Booth's first instinct was to slam the door in her face, but he had been raised a gentleman. "What do you want? Forget something?"

His face was haggard and there were dark shadows under his eyes. "I shouldn't have talked to you the way I did on the phone. You asked me to let you talk to me in person and I think you were right. Do you still want to talk to me?"

"Not really." Booth was angry and he was having a difficult time keeping his temper under control. "You said what you had to say."

"Seeley, I didn't mean to be so abrupt, but things have been odd between us for a few weeks now." Hannah wished Booth would invite her into the apartment. She felt odd talking to him about private matters in a public place. "May I come in . . . please?"

He wanted to refuse, but he was an adult and not a child. "Do what you want." Turning away, he walked down the hallway leaving the door open assuming that Hannah would enter the apartment. When he heard the door close he glanced back and found his ex-girlfriend following him. Moving over to the lounge chair in the living room, he sat down and waited to see what she wanted to talk about.

"Thank you." Hannah chose not to sit down. She wasn't sure what she wanted to say, but she knew that she needed to do it standing up. "Over a week ago, you started coming home later that normal. You didn't explain why and I didn't ask . . . I assumed it had to do with work . . . one night you came home soaking wet, you were so upset and you refused to speak to me at all. You tried to shut me out, but I wouldn't let you and you finally told me that Temperance was in trouble and that you had been following her around town at night for a couple of days because you were worried about her. You saved her from being run over in the rain. You were so upset, but I assumed it was because Temperance had almost been killed." She stopped and stared at Booth.

Not sure if he was supposed to respond or not, Booth shrugged his shoulders. "We were working on a case and something about it shook up Bones. I tried to understand what was going on, but . . . she was acting really strange. After she was almost run over, I drove her home and that's when she told me she had made a mistake . . . she was talking about when she turned me down the previous year . . . I asked her to take a chance on a relationship with me and . . . that whole thing was a disaster. I shouldn't have done it . . . I just should have let it alone."

"You're still friends . . . you still work together." Hannah was trying to understand what was going on, but she didn't think Booth was giving her all the information. "Why did she turn you down? Do you know?"

"Oh, I'll never forget." Booth had run that conversation over in his mind at least a thousand times and he still felt sad every time he thought about it. "She said she didn't have my kind of heart and she couldn't change. She said she didn't know how. She wasn't a gambler. She was a scientist . . . She meant that she couldn't have a relationship with me because she didn't believe in love and she never would. She just wanted to work with me, be my partner and I said yes. What else could I do?"

Brennan was a great anthropologist and many considered her to be the best in the country. Hannah knew that and she knew that if Brennan had said that she didn't have a heart like Booth then she had been kidding herself. "Of course she believes in love, Seeley. She may not trust it, but she believes it exists. Do you know how I know that?"

He didn't want to ask, but he was curious. What did Hannah know that he didn't. "This should be good, lay it on me."

She knew he was being sarcastic, but she ignored it. "When I was looking for a present for you, she knew exactly what present to buy you. A phone. Not just any phone either. A phone like your grandfather used to own. She knew you loved that phone and she knew that you wanted one just like it."

"A phone." His frustration was starting to grow along with his anger. "A damn phone?"

"You really don't get it, do you?" Hannah sighed and crossed her arms against her chest. "I didn't get it at first either, but I do now . . . she knew exactly what would make you happy. Not season tickets to some sporting event, not a bottle of Scotch. She knew that an old fashioned phone was what you wanted. She knew that you liked the tick tick tick when you dialed a number on that kind of a phone. Do you really think a casual friend would know that? Really? And then there's the fact that a week ago she told you that she had made a mistake turning you down . . . You didn't mention that she said she loved you."

Booth shrugged his shoulders. "No, like I said she doesn't believe in love. She thought it over in Maluku and I guess she wanted to give us a chance after all, but not because of love."

"Nonsense." Hannah was growing frustrated with Booth's myopia. "Did you mention that you loved her when you asked her to take a chance on you? I bet you didn't and neither did she because it's assumed. Both of you assume that each knows that you are in love with the other. You two leave way too much unsaid . . . No wonder you both are having a crisis . . . Look, I came back to see if I'd made a mistake. I wanted to see if there was a chance I had misunderstood what was going on, but I didn't did I? I love you Seeley . . . You told me that you love me, but we aren't going to get back together are we?"

"Hannah, Bones is just my friend and my partner. We've had a rough year, but we're getting back to where we used to be. I love her as a friend and yeah, she may love me too, but as a friend. Even if Bones agreed to have a relationship with me, I don't know how long it would last. We don't have a lot in common except our friendship. She doesn't believe in love or marriage and I do. I shouldn't have asked her in the first place . . . Bones is the best friend I've ever had. We've had our ups and downs like all friendships do, but we can count on each other when we need support. I can count on her if I need help and she can count on me. It's been like that for years. I wanted more and I pushed her to try to have something with me, but she knew that it wouldn't work. She's a genius. She can think circles around me and that's okay. Someone has to be the brains of the outfit. She knew that we wouldn't work out even if I didn't. I trust her. It was a mistake to ask her and I guess in Maluku she came up with the idea that when she came back she'd give us a chance even though she knew it wouldn't work out. She probably wanted to do that for me . . . She told me she was sad when she heard about you, but she was happy for me. That's a real friend, Hannah, a great friend and that was what she was trying to tell me all along. She was happy I moved on with you, so we could just be friends."

"Seeley!" She couldn't believe how hard he was trying to explain to her that his relationship with Brennan was just a friendly one. "My God, open your eyes and look at what's going on between you two. She loves you and you love her. I can see that. The world can probably see it if they care to look . . . I thought I might have made a mistake when I left last night, but I didn't did I? You don't really want me, you want Temperance and I'm not willing to help you with your delusion that you don't want to be with her . . . I love you Seeley and I believe it when you say you want me, but you don't love me enough to fight for me. You probably never did."

"You're wrong. You don't know what you're talking about, but that's okay. You don't want to be with me, I get it. I do." Booth just wanted to be alone. "We talked, you had your say and I had mine. You can leave now." His head was hurting and he wanted to lie down. He hadn't really slept in the last two days. He was tired. "Lock the door when you leave."

"Fine." She hadn't planned on saying the things she had said, but she was damn good reporter and all of the clues had been there right before her. She had just needed that final piece of the puzzle to put it all together. "I guess we're done."

Closing his eyes, Booth leaned back against his chair. "We're done." He heard her walk down the hallway and close the door behind her. After a while, he felt calmer and he allowed himself to relax. The apartment was quiet and the only sound to be heard was the heater running. The soft hum from the vent was soothing and soon he was asleep.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Brennan spent the afternoon trying to recover from her inebriation. She soaked in a tub of hot water until the water started to cool and she was forced to finish her bath. She cooked some vegetable soup, careful to make it bland with little seasoning. She didn't want to irritate her stomach and have another bout of regurgitation. Once had been enough. Wearing pajamas, she laid on the couch covered in a blanket and had tried to read, but she had been unable to focus. The apartment so quiet she had drifted in and out of sleep until she had woke at seven in the evening feeling almost normal.

Once she was awake, she decided to eat more of the vegetable soup and a slice of the toast that Booth had made for her. She had appreciated his kindness and she would thank him the next time she saw him.

While she spooned up some of her soup, she tried to remember what had happened the previous evening. She knew that Booth had brought her home and she knew that they had talked, but she wasn't quite sure what they had talked about. Irritated that she couldn't recall the conversation, she decided it mustn't have been very important. She had probably talked nonsense which was another reason why she hated to get drunk. Not only did it lower her inhibitions and make her vulnerable, she also said whatever was on her mind and it usually was nonsensical to less intelligent people. At least that is what Angela had told her the one time she had drunk too much at a party that Angela had given. Brennan had attended as the dutiful best friend, but the other party goers were artists and Brennan had been bored with their conversation. Angela had assured her that she hadn't said anything worth repeating and she had believed her.

After she had had her light dinner, she decided to call Booth and see if he really was angry with her. If he was perhaps he could explain why.

 _Booth._

"Hi, it's me, Bones." She always wanted the other person on the other end of the call to know who they were talking too. "I was just calling you to thank you for making the toast and setting up the coffee maker for tea. The toast and tea was just what I needed today."

 _Good, I'm glad . . . so you're feeling better?"_

He was talking more, so she assumed he hadn't really been angry with her after all. "Yes, thank you. I regurgitated when I woke up, but I haven't since then. The toast and tea settled my stomach . . . I appreciate that you brought me home last night. I hope that Hannah understood. I would have called someone else, but you are my partner and partners have each other's back."

 _It's okay . . . and you're right partner's protect each other. We always have and we always will._

"Yes, that's true." Brennan stared at the clock and saw that it was just 8:06. "I don't want to disturb your time with Hannah. I just called to thank you. I'll go now."

 _"_ _Wait . . . it's okay. Hannah isn't here . . . if you want to talk I have the time . . . I'm reading your last book. This is the first time I've had the chance to read it and it's good. Real good."_

"Thank you." She knew he read her books which still surprised her for some reason. She was in his real life and it amazed her that he wanted to be in her made up world too. "I'm working on some notes for a new book. The idea came to me a few weeks ago."

 _"_ _That's great . . . great . . . I . . . uh, Bones, I want to explain something to you that you need to know. When I came back from Afghanistan I tried to keep my distance from you, I'm sure you could tell and maybe you didn't understand why. I was impatient. I've always been that way and you know that, but I guess I was more impatient than usual . . . Anyway, I didn't want you to think that I was going to ask you to be something other than my partner, not again, so I tried to more partnerlike, more professional. I'm sorry. The distance between us was my fault, but we're friends and I love that friendship. I should have just told you that our friendship was okay at the beginning when we got back and just because I was with Hannah we were still friends. I didn't handle the situation like I should have. I'll try to be more like the old me from now on._

"Well, of course you didn't want me to think you were going to ask me to commit to you. You had moved on with Hannah. I understood that." That fact still made her sad. If she had called him or written to him, perhaps he would have waited for her, but he had no way of knowing what she had planned when they came back. She regretted that decision, but it was the past and that couldn't be undone. "I love our friendship too and there is nothing to be sorry for. We're partners and we've had times in the past when we've done things to irritate the other. We always work it out. We always will."

 _Yeah, we will. Thanks . . . So you're okay?_

"Yes, I'm fine." She liked that about Booth. He took his friendship seriously and cared about her just like she cared about him. It was the best part of their friendship. "I really am fine. I'm going to read for a while and then I plan to go to bed. I've had enough adventures to last me for at least a week."

 _Yeah . . . well, you know it was New Year and you wanted to have fun. I don't blame you for wanting that . . . I'm going to read your book for a bit and then I'm going to go to bed. Night._

"Goodnight, Booth." Brennan ended the call and smiled. She was pleased that he was enjoying her book. _Wait until he sees what I have planned for Andy in my next book. I think he will be very put out, but that is what he gets for believing that Andy is him._ She chuckled. It was going to be funny to see his reaction. Very funny.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	5. Chapter 5

(Season 6)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I really don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

They didn't have a case yet, so, Booth didn't have anything to take his mind from his personal problems. He wanted to get back to work and he felt guilty that wishing for a case would mean that someone had died. So far, he hadn't told anyone that Hannah had left and he wasn't sure how he was going to break the news to his partner. Perhaps he should just be blunt, tell Brennan and then move on. He just had to be careful and not go into the details of why Hannah had left him.

"Bones, I . . . uh, I think you should know that Hannah is gone." Booth stirred some sugar into his coffee and waited for his partner to respond.

Puzzled, Brennan picked up her cup of coffee and paused before sipping some. "Is she on assignment?" Drinking some of her coffee, she watched her partner stop stirring his coffee and turn his gaze upon her.

"What? . . . No, I meant that Hannah broke up with me." Apparently, he hadn't been as clear as he had thought. "She's no longer living with me."

Surprised, Brennan placed her cup down on the table. "Can you tell me why? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to of course."

Booth shrugged his shoulders. "She said our relationship wasn't going to be what we both thought it would be. She said I wasn't happy, so she left." He hadn't lied, but he hadn't given her the entire reason Hannah had left either.

She didn't know what to make of this turn of events. Was this good or bad for their friendship? "When did this happen?"

Again, he shrugged his shoulders. "New Year day."

"Was she angry that you took me home?" Brennan was starting to feel guilty even though she had done nothing wrong. "You should have let me take a cab home."

"Don't be ridiculous, Bones." Booth didn't want to talk about Hannah, but obviously Brennan wasn't going to let it go. "We're friends and you had a right to count on me to take you home . . . She wasn't mad about me taking you home, so don't worry about it . . . Remember, I told you that Hannah wanted me to bring you back to my apartment, but you wanted to go home. She was fine with that, so don't blame yourself. You didn't do anything wrong . . . It's been building up for a few weeks. My job, the long hours I've putting in. I was with you more than her. I guess she was feeling shut out. In fact, she told me that." Again, the truth, but not the whole truth.

She felt sad for her partner. His sexual relationships never seemed to last very long. "Are you angry?" She couldn't really tell or not. He seemed more sad that angry, but it was hard to tell.

"Yeah, I'm angry, but that doesn't change anything." Booth stared at his cup of coffee. "Don't worry about it. I'll get over it, I always do." As long as he had Brennan in his life, then it would be fine. At least he had one friend in his life he could count on.

"Of course." She hoped that Booth would not be angry for long. He had a tendency to be very impatient and snapped at everyone when he was angry. "So far the New Year has not started out very well for either of us."

Booth snorted. "You got that right."

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

Booth struggled to keep his temper in check while they worked their first case of the year, but he found himself threatening Hodgins over the way the man had handled running a snake in the plumbing of the victim's house. Because of the entomologist's methods, he, Cam and Brennan had been covered in blood, bits of flesh and bone that had whooshed up through the shower's drain where the victim had been found. The worst part of the whole thing was he was sure he had swallowed some of the victim's fluids which made him sick when he thought about it. He could handle blood, he'd seen enough of that in his lifetime, but to swallow part of a rotten corpse, well just the thought made him want to gag. He hoped the victim didn't have some fatal disease. The way his luck was going, it was possible.

Furious with Hodgins, he had tracked him down on the roof and yelled at him. "What the hell, Hodgins. Look at me. My suit is ruined. I'm covered in blood and stuff and this is your fault."

Paralyzed with fear, Hodgins had stood in front of the furious agent and hadn't moved. He had never seen Booth so angry. "I'm sorry. I tried to warn you, but you turned off the walkie-talkie."

His breath ragged, Booth glared at the scientist and fought to keep from hitting him. He was so filled with rage, it scared him and he was afraid he was losing control. Abruptly turning away, Booth went back downstairs, found Brennan and tried to calm down. "I've got some gym clothes in the truck. I'll give you what I'm wearing now as soon as I change." Stalking out to his SUV, he opened the back, found his gym bag and realized that the clothes inside were dirty. He had forgot to wash them the last time he had worked out. Carefully, he stripped off his jacket and after removing his personal items from the pockets, he placed it in a large bag Brennan had given him. Since he couldn't strip in the street, he went back in the victim's house carrying his gym bag, found an unoccupied room and stripped. Using a clean towel, he wiped his face, hair, arms and hands and placed the towel in the bag. Once that was done, he changed into his gym clothes and he knew he must have been a horrible sight. He really needed a shower.

He had promised Brennan that he wouldn't be as impatient as he had been for the last few months, but he knew it was going to be a hard promise to keep, especially if squints were going to cover him in rotten human remains.

Once he was done, he found his partner and Cam had already changed clothes and had removed as much of the human remains from themselves as they could. "Bones, I'm going home to shower. If you want me to drop you off at your apartment, then come on. If not, Cam can take you. I'm not going to stand around and wait."

Cam and Brennan knew that Booth was like a volcano ready to blow which wasn't good for anyone. Cam decided that the agent needed to be alone and away from everyone else. "I'll take Dr. Brennan home, Booth. We have a few things to take care of here before we can leave."

"Yes, I will call you when we have arrived back at the Lab." Brennan wanted to go with Booth and try to calm him down, but she had work to do before she could leave. "It was an accident. Hodgins didn't deliberately spew human remains on us."

"An accident." Booth didn't care if it was an accident. "Hodgins is a menace." Since yelling at his partner and his friend wouldn't accomplish anything, Booth left the house and returned to his SUV. _Could this year get any worse? Could it?_

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

The case was solved quickly and Booth was grateful. During the case, Hodgins had treated him with kid gloves which irritated him. Yes, he had yelled at the entomologist, but the man had deserved it. Now Hodgins acted like he was some trigger happy punk waiting to shoot anyone that crossed him and Booth thought that was uncalled for.

Before he went down to his partner's office to sign off on some reports, he dropped by the Ookie room to talk to Hodgins. "Hey, I need to talk to you."

Wary of Booth's intentions, Hodgins nodded his head, but didn't say anything.

Taking the nod as an acknowledgment, Booth entered the room, but stayed near the doorway. "What you did was stupid and I had every right to be mad at you, but that was four days ago. I'm not mad anymore and you need to quit treating me like I'm going to hurt you. When have I ever laid a hand on you? I have a temper and you know that, but I would never hurt you or anyone else I work with. I'm not that kind of guy." _He sure as hell wasn't his father. "_ We good?"

"Yes, we're good." Hodgins felt nothing but relief that Booth wasn't really mad at him. He considered the agent a friend, but Booth could be very intimidating when he wanted to be and the man had been a Ranger. He'd worked with the CIA and he'd probably done stuff that wasn't exactly legal. That was a guess, but a friend of his at the Pentagon had looked at Booth's file and he had told Hodgins to leave the agent alone and try not to talk to him about the man's past. "It was an accident. I didn't mean for that to happen."

"Yeah, I know." Booth shouldn't have turned off the walkie-talkie, but being covered in rotten body parts had driven him around the bend. "Don't do it again."

Hodgins nodded his head. "Yeah . . . I heard you broke up with Hannah. If you're feeling alone some nights come by the house. We can watch a game together. Angela isn't into sports and that means I have to watch games by myself. Company would be great."

Surprised, Booth smiled. "Thanks, but I'm good." He appreciated the offer, but he didn't want to talk about Hannah to anyone and going to Hodgins's house to watch a game would invite questions he didn't want to answer. "I have to go talk to Bones."

Once Booth was gone, Hodgins exhaled deeply. He liked Booth, but the Agent could be intense and a little bit scary.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

She was signing off on several reports related to their last case when Booth entered her office. "Hey, I'm here to sign those reports." He sat down on the chair in front of Brennan's desk and waited for her to pass them to him to sign.

"I'm almost done." Brennan was glad her partner had shown up at that moment. She wanted to talk to him and not in his office or the diner. Once she was done, she passed the reports over to Booth. "Once you sign them, I'll make copies and you can take them back to your office."

While Booth signed each report, Brennan leaned back against her chair and waited for him to finish. After he was done with the last report she pulled them across the desk and piled them up in a neat pile. "I would like to talk to you if I may."

Curious, Booth leaned back against his chair and nodded his head. "Sure, go ahead." Her tone of voice was odd, so he wasn't sure what to expect.

"You know I have an Eidetic memory." She paused and waited to see if her partner wanted to say something. When he didn't, she continued. "On New Year Day, when you came to get me and bring me home, I was quite inebriated. I know we talked in my apartment, but I couldn't remember what I said. Last night, while I was drifting off to sleep, our conversation came back to me."

Suddenly wary, Booth nodded his head and prayed that she didn't remember everything that was said between them. "Okay."

Determined to talk to Booth about it, Brennan nodded her head and chose to ignore the clinched fists on his thighs. "You mentioned that I could count on you and I told you not always." She paused to see if he wanted to say something, but he didn't. "I told you that when I came home from the Malukus, it had been my intention to tell you that I had reconsidered my answer outside the Hoover, but you told me about Hannah before I could do so. I thought we might try to have a relationship, but you already were in one."

Booth felt the blood rush from his face and he knew that Brennan had remembered their conversation and she was determined to talk about it. "You didn't write or call me for seven months, Bones. I thought our partnership was over. I thought you'd give up on me. What else was I supposed to think?" He wanted to leave, but he knew that would be a mistake. If he wanted to save his friendship, he had to stay and he had to be honest. She wasn't going to accept anything else. "I know I shouldn't have asked you to take a chance on us outside the Hoover. I know you don't trust love or commitment to monogamy. You've told me that often enough and I should have listened to you. That whole thing was my fault. Then you wanted to go to the Malukus and I was being asked to go to Afghanistan . . . you didn't write me or call me for seven months, Bones. Seven months."

She knew it had been a mistake not to write him while they were gone, but she couldn't redo the past no matter how much she wanted to. "Yes, I know, but I did tell you that the reason why I didn't write was because I didn't know how to write down what I felt about the situation. I . . . I didn't want to cause a misunderstanding between us. I should have tried."

Booth considered the situation and finally nodded his head. "If you had written me a letter, what would it have said?" He hoped she would explain what she wanted and why.

Though she usually didn't mull, in this instant she did. She thought about the letter she had written, torn up and thrown away instead of mailing it. "Would you like me to tell it to you in letter form?"

Amused that she was taking him so literally, Booth nodded his head. "Sure."

"Alright." Brennan took a moment to recall the letter. "Dear Booth, I hope you are doing well and not taking any unnecessary risks. I asked you not to be you and I hope you are keeping your promise." She paused and looked at Booth.

He shrugged his shoulders. "I was fine. Nothing happened to me."

Nodding her head, she continued. "Except we both know you were doing more than training . . . I will continue my letter. Since I have been here, I have been thinking about our conversation outside the Hoover when Sweets was contemplating publishing his book. I said I couldn't change, but that of course is not true. Everything and everyone changes. Nothing remains static forever. It either changes or it starts to decline and break down." She noticed her partner nod his head and she knew he was listening.

"I have denied that love exists for a long time. When my parents and my brother abandoned me it led me to believe that love has an expiration date. That love is controlled by chemicals in the body and once the high from those chemicals passes then love dies with it. It seemed like a valid conclusion at the time." While she had been in Foster Care she had never seen any signs of love or like from her foster parents and she had come to the conclusion that love was ephemeral at best and nothing to risk future happiness on. "I was afraid to risk my happiness on something as temporary as love."

Booth pulled his upper lip between his teeth and stared at his partner. He wanted to argue with her that love was real, but he was beginning to believe that might not be true. How many times had someone told him that they loved him and then left him? Maybe she was right after all.

His continued silence encouraged her to continue. "My biggest fear has been that over the years I have allowed myself to care for you deeply and that someday I may fail to back you up when you need it and you will die taking my happiness with you." During the Gravedigger trial that had almost become an obsession. She had dreamed of Hodgins and Booth's death night after night. The strain had been too much and after the trial she had fled to the Malukus to evade her feelings. Of course, no one can run away from themselves and she had continued to have those bad dreams while she was there. "While I was working in the Malukus I realized that no one has control over their future and worrying about someone dying before their time is useless. You only have one life and if you refuse to live it to its fullest because of what might be then that is the height of folly. You or I could die in a car accident tomorrow or we may both live for another fifty years. To deny love because it may not last deprives you of that love anyway. What is the point of that?"

Surprised, Booth nodded his head. "Yeah."

Brennan smiled. "When I get back to the District I would like to take a chance Booth. I would like to take a chance on us. I don't know if I love you in the traditional sense, but I do love you as a friend and someone I care deeply about and wouldn't that be a good place to start a relationship from? If you still want a personal relationship with me, please write back and let me know. I will accept whatever decision you make. After all this isn't just my life, but yours too. Love Bones."

 _If only she had written that letter._ Booth stared at his partner and felt an emotional storm moving through him. Slowly, he stood up and nodded his head. "I would have written you a letter if I'd received that one . . . Dear Bones, yes . . . the answer is yes."

Excited, Brennan stood up and moved around the desk. When she was standing next to her partner she placed her hand on his chest. "Are you sure?"

A smile his answer, Booth pulled her into his arms and kissed her.

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. This isn't the end, at least not yet.


	6. Chapter 6

(Season 6)

Thank you for reviewing my story. It's the only way I can tell if you're really interested in my story.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

This was new to them and they weren't sure what was going to happen next. Both worried that they were going to do something to cause the other to change their mind, but they knew they had to at least try. After all, for the last year they had both been miserable and they didn't want to go back to that state of misery.

Sitting in Brennan's apartment, Booth waited for Brennan to reenter the room. While she was gone, he thought about the changes that had to happen now that they were in a personal relationship. He needed to let Hacker know about his relationship change with his partner and he wasn't sure how that was going to end up. Hacker had had the hots for Brennan for over a year and though she had only dated him a few times, his boss still asked about her occasionally. If Hacker chose to be vindictive, he could sever their partnership and there wouldn't be anything Booth could do about it. Of course, if that happened, he would no longer go out into the field as an investigator. His job was really a desk job, but he had not wanted to give up working with Brennan and he had found ways to do all of the things he was required to do and still be able to investigate crimes. He hated the thought of being desk bound. He was a man of action and sitting behind a desk all day would not be pleasant. He also hated the thought of losing his partnership. He was afraid that Brennan would not take that well and it might jeopardize their new relationship.

She entered the room and noticed Booth sitting on the couch chewing on the edge of a thumbnail. She knew that look and it wasn't a good sign. He was worried and it was bordering on fear. Her partner was the bravest man she knew, but there were somethings that he had no control over and she knew that lack of control worried him.

Uncertain what he was thinking about, Brennan sat down next to him and placed her hand on his knee. "What's wrong, Booth?"

Startled from his dark thoughts, Booth lowered his hand and turned to look at his partner. "There are some things we don't have any control over Bones."

"Of course." Brennan knew that Booth was trying to tell her something, but he was being unclear. "Are you having second thoughts about our new relationship?" She hoped not.

"What? No!" Booth took her right hand in his hands and held it firmly. "No way . . . no matter what happens, I don't want to lose you. I love you and I want to be with you for eternity."

Now she was growing alarmed. "What are you worried about, Booth?" There was something that he was afraid of and it was making her uneasy.

Clearing his throat, Booth nodded his head. "Okay look, you know about FBI policy that employees can't have personal relationships . . . I'm worried that the FBI might break up our partnership. I don't want that to happen, but if it does I don't want to lose you. I don't want to give up on our relationship."

"You won't lose me, Booth." Brennan had already thought about it and she knew how she would handle the situation. "No matter what happens with our working partnership, I will not let it destroy our personal one. It took us too long to get together. I will not let anyone interfere with our relationship. I want to be with you for an eternity too. Of course, that isn't really possible. We cannot live forever and . . . and in a few years, you may decide that you wish to move on with someone else and . . ."

"Whoa, I am not moving on to someone else." Booth wanted to stop that train of thought right there. "I've known you for seven years. We've worked together for six years and I think we've been friends for at least five and a half years, more or less. I know you and I love you. I don't want anyone else, just you. There is no way I'm going to leave you for someone else, not now not ever."

Brennan appreciated his words, but she still had doubts. "Things change Booth. Love can die."

"No, it won't die. Not for me." Booth could see that Brennan's insecurities were coming to the front. "I am not your parents. If I ever did something and I had to run, I'd take you with me. Get it? We're together now . . . of course, you do know I don't run from anything. If someone comes after me for any reason, I'll stand my ground." He didn't want Brennan to worry about him. "I'm not going anywhere and neither are you."

She appreciated that Booth always seemed to know what to say when she was having doubts. In the past, she hadn't always listened or used his advice, but his words were always heartfelt and she knew he stood by them. "No, I'm not going anywhere . . . Maybe we should wait a few weeks before we tell anyone."

"If that's what you want, sure." Booth knew putting it off wasn't going to solve their problem, but if his girlfriend wanted it that way, that's what they would do. He leaned over and kissed her. "I love you, Bones."

Brennan returned his kiss and knew that for now, they were fine. If their partnership was severed then that would be something they would have to accept. She had some things she needed to think about and she would when she had the spare time. For now, she was only interested in Booth's lips and what he was doing to her. "Um, let's go to the bedroom."

"Sure." Booth pulled her to her feet. "I have a few things I'd like to show you."

She laughed. "I think I have a few things I can show you too. I think you will find them very enjoyable."

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Cam and Hodgins found crime scenes to be very interesting at the moment. They knew about Hannah leaving Booth and he had been rather onerous to be around for a few days after she broke his heart, but something changed and now he was pleasant. Too pleasant. Everyone knew that Booth hated squint speak and he was very impatient if he felt that someone was over explaining anything, so they found it puzzling that when Brennan took off on long winded explanations using words that they might have been hard pressed to understand Booth just stood there and waited for her to finish.

"Something's going on." Hodgins felt a little creeped out with Booth's change in personality. "It's not normal. He's not acting normal. One minute he wants to fillet me for ruining his suit and the next minute he's smiling at me and saying good morning. He never says good morning, but he did today. He even made a joke . . . and his patience . . . since when did he get so patient?"

Cam nodded her head. "There are definitely some changes . . . At first, I suspected that perhaps he and Dr. Brennan had finally come to an understanding, but I haven't seen any changes in her at all. I was going to talk to him, but I don't know if I want the impatient Booth back right now."

"Whatever is going on, he can't stay this way forever." Hodgins watched as he held Brennan's hand as she stepped down into a trench where a body lay. "Sooner or later he's going to blow his top. It's just a matter of when not if. I just hope I'm not around when it happens."

Booth stood over the trench and watched Brennan squat next to the mostly bones lying before her. "What do think, Bones? Murder?"

Carefully examining the body, Brennan finally shook her head. "If it is, it isn't obvious. I'll have to have the body taken back to the Lab, so I can examine it there. Female . . . between twenty and thirty years of age . . . Caucasian . . . the body has been here for quite a while. We will need Hodgins to determine how long the body has been here."

As Cam approached the area where the body lay, she was surprised when Booth reached out and held her hand as she stepped down into the trench. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Booth made a few notes on a card and placed it in his pocket. "Maybe this is an old cemetery. The body is about six feet down."

Brennan considered it for a moment and decided that wasn't possible. "No signs of a casket or burial clothes . . . I don't think this is part of a cemetery."

It had been a guess, so he wasn't vested in the idea. "Okay." They were in a meadow surrounded by woods. The closest house was 2 miles away. "I'm going to interview the owner of the dog who found this . . . thank God for dog's Bones. A lot of murderers have been caught because of them."

Brennan smiled as her boyfriend walked away. They had just talked about dogs on the way to the crime scene and how Booth liked them. She knew he wanted one, but his job meant that the dog would be alone too much. "Booth likes dogs."

Cam looked up and noticed the smile on Brennan's face. "Yeah, his grandfather had one when Booth was a boy. I forget what breed it was, but Booth loved to play with him."

Her attention back on the body, Brennan continued to examine the bones she could see that wasn't covered by decayed flesh. "It's likely this is a murder victim, but I didn't want to jump the pistol and tell Booth that before we corroborate it."

She almost corrected Brennan, but decided not to. Pistol was close enough. "Good idea."

Pleased that she her colloquialism had been correct, Brennan smiled in self-satisfaction.

Oooooooooooooooooo

"So far so good, Booth. No one suspects that we are in a relationship." Brennan was quite pleased with the situation. She and Booth had been together for two weeks now and no one seemed to be the wiser. "We can probably continue our subterfuge for a few more weeks." Brennan leaned down and kissed her boyfriend. I think I am enjoying this very much."

Booth placed his hands on his girlfriend's hips and deepened the kiss. Their physical relationship was everything he had thought it would be. "The sex or the subterfuge?"

Brennan sat back up and looked down at Booth who lay naked underneath her. "Both of course."

Oooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	7. Chapter 7

(After 'The Change in the Game')

Thank you for continuing to support my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

"I think Max knows we're in a relationship." They had wrapped up their case and they were on the way to the hospital to see Angela. Their friend was in labor and Brennan had promised to be there when it happened.

"How do you know?" Brennan had been certain that they had fooled her father, but she was terrible at non-verbal communication, so it was possible she had missed the signs. "Really?"

Grimly, Booth nodded his head. "Yeah, he was watching us all night. He's a con artist and what makes someone a good con artist is their ability to read people . . . He knows."

Well, if he knew then he knew. At the moment, she had other more important things on her mind. "Alright. I'll talk to him tomorrow . . . Everything is changing. Angela is having a baby . . . We're in a relationship." She loved Booth and she was happy to be in a relationship with him, but her life was altering in ways she hadn't counted on and it seemed that she didn't have control over anything that was happening, at least not lately.

The tone of her voice was sad and that worried Booth. Was she unhappy? Was she unhappy with him? "Are you worried about the FBI? Don't be. I've read up on company policy and exceptions and I think we're going to be okay. I think we should just go ahead and tell my boss tomorrow and let the chips fall where they may." _I just hope Hacker doesn't turn into a jerk about this. The bastard is still too interested in Bones._

"I think we should too." Brennan slowly moved her hand in a slow circle around her stomach. She had so much to think about, so much to consider. "Are you happy Booth?"

"Of course, I'm happy. Aren't you?" Maybe she was trying to tell him something, but he didn't know what it was. He was getting mixed signals and he was afraid Brennan might be having second thoughts about them. "Are you happy?"

"Yes, I think I am." She had been very happy until this morning and now she felt like her world might be moving towards a direction that she wasn't prepared for. They should have been more careful, but now it was too late. How would Booth react? She hoped he would be pleased, but what if he wasn't? "Angela is very happy to be in labor. She has been conducting various experiments trying to rush the baby's birth, but up until today they had failed . . . She seems eager to start her new life as a mother."

Booth signaled and made a left turn at the next light. "Yeah, I think she'll be great as a Mom. She and Hodgins love kids and this whole blind thing that might happen . . . well, I think they're okay with it and they can handle it. They're good people and their kid will get the right care if he's born blind."

It was a lot of responsibility and Brennan wondered what kind of mother she would be under the same circumstances. "There is only a twenty-five percent chance that the child will be born with Leber Congenital Amaurosis. Hodgins is confident that the odds are on their side and the child will have normal sight."

"Yeah, those are good odds." They were almost at the hospital. "But if they lose the bet and the child is blind, they can handle it and so can we. We'll just have to support them because that's what friends do." He had been saying a prayer every night for Angela's baby since he had heard about the threat to the child. He had asked St. Lucy to intervene since she was the patron saint for the blind. He just hoped she'd been listening and decided to intervene.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

The excitement over, a new baby introduced to their group, everyone was thrilled that the boy Michael Staccato Vincent Hodgins was healthy and his eye sight was normal. Angela was tired, but happy and Hodgins was in a state of peace he hadn't felt since their adventure had begun.

Once the baby had arrived, Brennan had talked to Angela for a while and that had helped relieve some of her own anxiety, but not all of it. There were changes happening in her life and they didn't just affect her. Any decision she made had repercussions beyond just her own life. She had never planned for this to happen, but now that it had, she realized that living a solitary life had not prepared her for what she was living through now. Up until she committed to a relationship with Booth, she had lead a very independent life. She had only been responsible for herself, but that had changed and sometimes she didn't feel she was up to the task in front of her. She was a strong, confident woman and she had always considered herself to be capable of handling anything, but now she had doubts and she wasn't sure what her future would be anymore. Her straight path had taken a mighty detour and she had no control over the path she was following. It was intimidating and just a little scary.

Booth had parked his truck in front of her apartment, but she had wanted to go for a walk. She had prepared herself as best she could and the time had come to inform Booth that his life was changing in a way he had not planned for.

"I'm pregnant." He had stood there paralyzed. "You're the father." She didn't know why she had said that since she hadn't had sex with any man, but Booth for over a year, but she had to make sure he knew exactly who the child belonged to. There could be no doubt in his mind.

His beaming smile had sent a wave of relief through her body. She hadn't known how he would react, but she had hoped he would be the man she thought he was. She had hoped he would be happy and to see that smile on his face had confirmed for her that Booth indeed was someone she could always trust.

He stepped forward and grasped both of her hands. "A baby . . . our baby. I just . . . When did that happen? No that isn't important." He pulled her against his body and kissed her. "You make me so happy, Bones. Every day you make me so happy."

Her hands free, she moved her arms around her lover and returned his kiss. "I wasn't sure if you wanted another child. We haven't talked about having a baby."

"Oh, I want the baby, believe me." He kissed her once more. "A little Bones running around, it's like a dream come true. It is a dream come true." He kissed her again. "We're going to be a family, Bones. You and me and little Bones. I told you there is more than one kind of family. I told you to believe and now see what's happened." He just wanted to keep kissing her, but they were on the sidewalk and it was getting cold, so he released her. "Come on, let's go inside. It's too cold out here."

Brennan tucked her arm around his arm and walked with him to her apartment building. "I worry that I might not be a good mother."

He stopped immediately and faced her. "Are you kidding me? You've been helping me with Parker for years. Being my village . . . he loves you and you know that. I've seen how you are with other kids . . . little Andy . . . kids in trouble with the law, kids involved with our cases and every time . . . every single time, those kids have trusted you. Kids can tell if you don't like them, believe me and I have never seen a kid not like you . . . never. You're going to be a great Mom. All you have to do is be yourself. Just be yourself."

His words were sincere and she loved that he meant every word he had said. A bright smile replacing the frown she had worn just seconds earlier, Brennan kissed him. "Thank you, Booth."

"You're welcome . . . we really need to go inside. It's getting colder." He wasn't that cold, but he wanted to make sure Brennan was warm after all she was carrying his baby . . . his baby, wow.

As they walked towards her apartment, Booth thought about the changes they had both gone through in the last couple of years. It was amazing they had managed to stay friends through all their down periods, but they had and to Booth, that proved just how strong their friendship was. He had never had a friend like Brennan. She was someone he could count on when he needed it and he hoped he was the friend she needed and could count on. He had made mistakes, but he hoped he had learned from them. The biggest lesson he had learned was not to give up on Brennan. She was complicated like most human beings and not easily placed in a box. His original mistake had been not treating her like Bones. All the mistakes he had made had been because he had forgot that Brennan was a unique individual who didn't react to the world like the average person did. She has her own unique spin on everything and he would never forget that. Never again. He planned on living with her for the next 40 or 50 years and maybe just maybe for an eternity.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

The end. Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


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